Sourdough einkorn cinnamon rolls do not need to be as complicated as you may think. Although they take a small bit of planning, the actual hands-on involvement is easy.
I was transported to a different time. The smells in my kitchen were simple, sweet, and satisfying. Transported back to my childhood, waking up in a lake cabin with cinnamon roll scents dancing in the air. Yet instead of the sugary, white flour concoction of my childhood, the current smells in my kitchen were made of ancient grains, maple syrup, and simple stevia.
This page may contain affiliate links. To view my full affiliate link disclosure, click here.
Jump to:
This recipe is incredible. Of course, as a recipe creator, I had to try it a few times to make sure everything came out repeatedly okay, which suited me just fine. I mean how could you not enjoy making einkorn cinnamon rolls a few times and have the aromas fill the house?
I think this recipe is spot on and yes, of course, it is Trim Healthy Mama friendly. They are going to be a crossover, but this crossover is fermented and will end up still being gentle on your blood sugar. You will want to add an extra protein source.
These are healthy, fermented, sweet, sourdough, with a delicious frosting.
They are perfect for a summer lake cabin breakfast, or a holiday treat!
Ingredients
Rolls
- Fed sourdough starter
- This needs to be fed a sourdough starter. With this specific recipe, we need the active yeast and bacteria to get a rise with the rolls.
- Water
- Whole wheat einkorn flour
- In the case of this recipe, you could also use all-purpose einkorn flour without altering the outcome much.
- Melted coconut oil
- Honey or Maple syrup
- Eggs
- Eggs are used as a binder
- Baking soda & baking powder
- Although there is an active sourdough starter the baking powder and soda are needed as an additional leavening agent.
- Salt
- Softened butter & Gentle Sweet & Molasses & Cinnamon
- These are used as a filling for the cinnamon rolls. If you do not wish to use these you can alternatively use a sugar-free brown sugar and the butter.
Cream Cheese Topping
- Cream cheese (softened)
- Unsweetened almond milk
- Gentle Sweet
- Cinnamon
Benefits of Sourdough Einkorn Cinnamon Rolls
- These can be long-fermented! Overnight or up to 24 hours will do the trick.
- They are soft and buttery with ribbons of cinnamon coursing through them!
- A lot of the work is done the night before so if you plan to use them for a special occasion, you don't have to wake up extra early for a second rise!
- You can roll them up like 'normal cinnamon rolls' or braid them and put them in a cast iron skillet.
Tips
Although the ingredient and instruction list are fairly long, these einkorn cinnamon rolls are not that complicated. Here are a few tips to keep in mind.
- Start the process with the night before you plan to bake them. Or up to 24 hours in advance. This is done to give it the best fermentation time. This creates more flavor
- You will need an active Einkorn starter. This means that it has been fed 4-12 hours prior to being used in the recipe. Look for those nice and active bubbles!
- Don't worry if when you wrap the dough in the cast iron skillet if it doesn't look too pretty. The pretty part comes in the baking process!
Why use a cast-iron skillet? This is honestly a personal preference, but I find that all my sourdough recipes bake better in a skillet. There is just something about the benefits of cast iron that keep me coming back time and time again. However, this recipe can also be cooked on a baking sheet lined with parchment.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer
- Measuring cups and spoons
- Silicon spatula
- Large Cast Iron Skillet OR alternative baking dish
- Large glass bowl
- An immersion blender (for making cream cheese topping)
You can find all my favorite sourdough equipment in my Amazon storefront or my Like to Know Shop.
Instructions
There are two options in my instructions. The first will walk you through baking the cinnamon rolls in a braid and in a cast iron skillet. The second will give you steps for rolling them into a simple cinnamon roll and baking them in a dish.
In a bowl, combine fed sourdough starter, flour, maple syrup or honey, water, and melted coconut oil. Mix together and then form a ball.
Place the dough in a glass bowl and cover the dough with plastic wrap. Allow it to rest in a warm place overnight or for up to 24 hours.
To the dough, add eggs, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
Mix in the stand mixer on medium speed for about 5 minutes until the dough becomes stretchy.
In another bowl add the Gentle Sweet and molasses. Stir with a whisk until it vaguely resembles brown sugar. In a bowl, combine melted butter, Gentle Sweet brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir.
Lightly dust the counter with flour, and roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thickness. Add butter /Gentle Sweet filling to the dough and spread evenly.
Option 1
Roll the dough up as tightly as you can. Cut dough vertically down the center. You will now have two long pieces of dough with ribbons of the butter/Gentle Sweet filling showing through.
Braid the two strands together by folding one over another.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place a large cast-iron skillet inside to preheat. Once the skillet is preheated, place the wrapped dough around the skillet starting on the outside and working your way in.
Bake them in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until the rolls are lightly browned and the dough is cooked through. Allow them to cool a bit.
Hint: Remember the dough will probably not look 'pretty' in the cast iron skillet when rolled up. The pretty part comes once the dough bakes.
Option 2
Cut dough into strips with a knife or a pizza cutter.
Rolls strips of dough into cinnamon roll circles. Bake them in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until the rolls are lightly browned and the dough is cooked through. Allow them to cool a bit.
Remaining Instructions
While the rolls bake, you can make the glaze. In a blender mix, the softened cream cheese, unsweetened almond milk, Gentle Sweet, and cinnamon together.
Allow the cinnamon rolls to cool and bit and pour the glaze over the top.
Note - If you are using all-purpose einkorn instead of whole wheat you will keep the amount of flour the same but decrease the water content by 5%. You will decrease every ¾ cup of flour by 5%. In the case of this recipe the water content gets decreased by 25% based on those ratios (I'm terrible at math and it hurt my brain to figure that out- so feel free to correct me if I'm wrong!).
Therefore use ¼ cup + 2 tbps of water instead of the ½ cup of water that is in the recipe for whole wheat einkorn.
Storage
Technically you can store these at room temperature if there is no cream cheese frosting on top for 2-3 days. However, I am not a person that tends to head that route. I like to keep this in the refrigerator. They keep very well for up to 5 days, but after that start to lose their flavor and texture.
Other FAQs
Can I freeze my cinnamon rolls?
I don't recommend doing this, however, it is possible. You can freeze baked cinnamon rolls before putting the frosting on.
You can also freeze the dough before the final rise. You will need to let it sit out, thaw, and rise before baking.
Is this really Trim Healthy Mama-friendly?
Yes, the ingredients are on plan with the THM plan. However, this is a rich crossover. Einkorn is an approved ancient grain on the THM plan. A fantastic article written right from the THM website about grains on THM can be found here.
These flours have lower amounts of gluten than modern wheat and are often better digested which sometimes (but not always) allows for gluten sensitive people to be able to use them. They work beautifully for breads and other baked goods. They are chock full of B vitamins and contain higher protein levels and greater micronutrients such as polyphenols and minerals when compared to modern wheat. They are best sprouted or soured to lower blood sugar rise.
Meadow Hall
Do I have to ferment these overnight?
If you are following the THM plan, I would highly recommend that you do not skip this step. In fact, I would strongly encourage you to let them ferment for a full 24 hours. It is possible to overproof the dough, but the extra fermentation time has a lot of benefits for our blood sugar rise.
Other Healing Home Breakfast Favorites - All Trim Healthy Mama Friendly!
Einkorn Cinnamon Rolls - Cast Iron Cinnamon Rolls
Sourdough Einkorn cinnamon rolls don't need to be as complicated as you might think. The end result is a delicious sourdough and sugar-free roll that the whole family will enjoy!
Ingredients
- ½ cup fed sourdough starter
- ½ cup water
- 4 cups whole wheat einkorn flour
- ½ cup melted coconut oil
- ½ cup honey or ½ cup maple syrup
- 2 eggs
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup softened butter
- 1 cup Gentle Sweet
- 2 teaspoon molasses
- 2 tablespoon cinnamon
Cream Cheese Topping
- 8 oz cream cheese (softened)
- ¼ cup unsweetened almond milk
- ¼ cup Gentle Sweet
- 1 tablespoon cinnamon
Instructions
- In a bowl, combine fed sourdough starter, flour, maple syrup or honey, water, and melted coconut oil. Mix together and then form a ball.
- Place the dough in a glass bowl and cover the dough with plastic wrap. Allow it to rest in a warm place overnight or for up to 24 hours.
- To the dough, add eggs, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
- Mix in the stand mixer on medium speed for about 5 minutes until the dough becomes stretchy.
- In another bowl add the Gentle Sweet and molasses. Stir with a whisk until it vaguely resembles brown sugar.
- In a bowl, combine melted butter, Gentle Sweet brown sugar, and cinnamon. Stir.
- Lightly dust the counter with flour, and roll out the dough to about ¼ inch thickness.
- Add butter /Gentle Sweet filling to the dough and spread evenly.
- Roll the dough up as tightly as you can.
- Cut dough vertically down the center. You will now have two long pieces of dough with ribbons of the butter/Gentle Sweet filling showing through.
- Braid the two strands together by folding one over another.
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees and place a large cast-iron skillet inside to preheat.
- Once the skillet is preheated, place the wrapped dough around the skillet starting on the outside and working your way in.
- Bake them in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until the rolls are lightly browned and the dough is cooked through. Allow them to cool a bit.
- Cut dough into strips with a knife or a pizza cutter.
- Rolls strips of dough into cinnamon roll circles. Bake them in a 375-degree oven for 20-25 minutes or until the rolls are lightly browned and the dough is cooked through. Allow them to cool a bit.
- While the rolls bake, you can make the glaze.
- In a blender mix, the softened, cream cheese, unsweetened almond milk, Gentle Sweet, and cinnamon together.
- Allow the cinnamon rolls to cool and bit and pour the glaze over the top.
Notes
The corresponding video will walk you through option 1 of the instructions.
Recommended Products
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 18 Serving Size: 1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 407Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 13gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 54mgSodium: 255mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 7gSugar: 15gProtein: 10g
Online calculators are only estimates. Please use your best judgement when consuming.
